


Okami

by nnww2020



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst and Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:34:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24167416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nnww2020/pseuds/nnww2020
Summary: With a heart fractured and broken as her dreams seemed to fail before her eyes, Rin embarks on a journey to escape her past. To her surprise, it finds her instead and unveils the world.Destiny has called her forth, beckoned by her ever-watchful kami but at what cost to Rin herself?
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha), Rin/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 77





	1. Prologue

She shivered a little as the distance between her small body and the roaring fire at camp grew ever greater.

The pull she felt within her very soul was a more demanding master than anything else at that moment, even besting the sleep the rest of her desperately wished for.

The full moon shone just above the distant treeline, beckoning her to its sweet embrace and she followed onwards, driven by a knowledge she couldn't quite understand.

And although she now walked alone through thick woodlands and the howling beasts that dwelled within, she felt no fear. Only the pull. That wonderful call.

As she stepped from the wilderness into the small glade, her breath caught in her throat. Her ears became deaf to the world around her and instead only heard a distant drawn-out melody that soothed her very soul it seemed.

But her eyes were wide open, transfixed by her vision while her heartbeat was erratic and wild in her chest.

The full moon in all its glory stared back at her. A seemingly ethereal smile; a whisper on the wind; a caress of a gentle hand on the small stubby one she reached out with.

Was this... home?

* * *

  
"Rin."

Like a dream, it suddenly finished. Dazed and confused, she turned to her master who had followed from the camp. Sesshoumaru stared down at her. "It is dangerous to stray from the fire and our protection. Why are you here?"

Rin peered at her hand that had been outstretched, mesmerized by the faint whisps of light that clung to her small fingers before they faded into nothing. "I don't know," she whispered.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head before taking a step aside, indicating for her to move back along the path first. "Let us return. The night is cold."

Rin gave a brief smile before she took off at a gentle run with Sesshoumaru following at a more sedate pace at her heels once he' d given the small glade a brief review with eyes and nose. Nothing was amiss to his delicate senses but he would give a more thorough review at daybreak when he could trust Jaken to care for the girl.

His ears twitched briefly as the wind bore a gentle word in a soft melodic voice to them, so faint indeed that he barely believed it real.

"Okami..."

Sesshoumaru stopped dead and spun around only to find the same nothingness as before with only the full moon filling the sky.


	2. Return

It was becoming almost unbearable. But she had to bear it, now and until the end.

During waking hours when she was occupied with other necessities, it was not so pressing on her mind but at night... at night all she had left was the pain coursing through her hands and up her arms, pulsing like clockwork.

A very real reminder of what she had to do had a finite time frame.

As it was, Rin was attempting to rest by the small campfire with eyes focused on the distant twinkling stars above, counting each one in an attempt to quiet her mind. 

_No moon tonight_ , she mused. Her lord was absent, perhaps caught up in the endless chase of his beloved sister-wife across the sky.

With a heavy sigh, Rin internally admitted defeat before she sat back up and reached for the scroll once more. It was a message from Kagome, a plea for aid in defending the village she had grown up in.

Rin ran her gloved fingertips over the dried ink, marveling at Kagome's writing still being so neat and tidy despite having a young child at her hip and another playing the part of her grown husband.

She had not been back in nearly five years. Not that Kagome had ever stopped sending her news of things, little tidbits of life to keep Rin somehow connected to their world.

But after what had happened... well, she wanted no reminders at all of that other life she had once lived.

Rin folded the letter carefully before returning it to the nearby satchel as her companion remerged from the thick forest he'd disappeared into.

"Everything okay?"

Rin gave a weak smile. "As much as it can be."

The wolf demon tilted his head, ears twitching as they picked up every minute change of tone in her voice. "The pain too much?"

"Oh no... it's the same as it is. Bearable."

Daichi crouched low beside her. "I can see about herbs? Medicine from the village?"

Rin sighed. "Thank you but no. I must feel this. He has said as much." Daichi huffed at that, his breath fogging lightly in the crisp night air.

"Perhaps," Rin added softly as she sank back down onto the ground, "you could tell me a story? Something to take my mind into a different world entirely."

"Haven't you heard all my best already?" Daichi chuckled. "Which one do you favor?"

"Oh that lovely one about the moon and the stars. The great nightly dance with the dazzling lords and ladies."

* * *

The village had not changed. Still quiet with life ebbing onwards like a steady stream.

Rin glanced around, straining herself to see there are any changes at all. Beside her, Daichi was tensing in response to Rin herself as she became more uncomfortable.

The tree was the same; there was Kaede's home and Kagome's; the roadside vegetable seller already setting up his wares before the quiet main street became slightly more bustling with activity.

"Rin?" Daichi's voice hitched slightly as he called her.  
  
"I'm here. Calm," Rin replied softly. "Let's call to her home."

They'd barely stepped off the main road itself when Rin found herself pulled backward. It was Inuyasha, as ageless as he was always was, who now stared at her in surprise.

"Rin!!! You've come!" he barked before tugging her into a hug. Rin for her part waved at Daichi to stall his planned retrieval of her.

"Look at you..." Inuyasha marveled as he finally took in the sight of her. "You've grown up."

"I'm three and twenty now, Lord Inuyasha."

"Married?" the Hanyō added, with a quick glance between Rin and Daichi.

"No," Rin replied. "We work together. Almost family."

"What is your work? I see you've discarded the Miko outfit."

"At things. How is Kagome? Does she fair well?"

Inuyasha frowned her, not liking the clear changes in Rin's now closed demeanor. "She's fine. Needs your help. Where have you been all these years, Rin?"

She merely gave him a tight smile. "I would very much like to meet with Kagome if you could take us to her?"

The Hanyō scowled, his face darkening as his queries went unanswered. "What's happened to you, Rin? You used to be so open. Are we not family? Please... where have you been?"

Rin herself was unfazed and stared back fearlessly. "My life is my own. I'm here to repay a debt. If you would be so kind, could you lead us to Kagome?"  
  


* * *

"What trouble ails this village?" Rin asked demurely, every inch of her posture perfect as she sat with tea in hand.

The conversation with Kagome had been stilted to say the least, with her Hanyō husband stalking moodily in the background with their daughter following his example as those dog ears listened intently to their conversation.

"It's my fault really, Rin. It's another baby," Kagome added with a press of her right hand over her slightly swelled belly. "When Kaede still lived, it wasn't an issue. But now she's gone and I've not had an apprentice Miko since, well, you."

Rin blinked. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that, Kagome. However I do know someone who might be able to help with what you seek. I can stay and help defend the village for now until we locate a suitable replacement."

She didn't miss the way Kagome's eyes lowered, the sadness she held in. "Surely... you'd like to stay, Rin? I mean this is your home."

Rin gently took Kagome's right hand in her own. "It _was_ my home once. I shall always hold it in fondness. But I am not meant for this place."

The conversation after that became more of a protracted silence as Kagome struggled to reconcile this new Rin with her cherished memory of the young woman who'd left them just five years before.

As Rin finally took her leave, she made a promise to meet with Kagome once more at sunrise.

"Daichi?" Rin said quietly as they stepped lightly away from the house under the almost oppressive gaze of Inuyasha who had followed them out and now stood as a silent guardian behind them. "Would you take a letter for me to Kurotsuchi?"

"The priestess at that Shrine? Sure. Shall haste be needed?"

Rin nodded, casting a glance over her shoulder. "I fear Inuyasha will notify his brother of my arrival. As I still am technically his ward until he decides to release me, he may attempt to stall my departure."

"I shall be like the wind, Rin, and will return before dusk on the second day."


	3. The Dog Lord

Rin's guess turned out to be true.

Before the sun had even started to set on that first day of her return, Inuyasha had already sent an urgent message to his brother. The only question that weighed on the Hanyō's mind was whether Sesshoumaru would receive it in time to return.

The wolf Yōkai that had accompanied Rin was gone since that morning and all efforts on Inuyasha's part to find out from her where he'd disappeared to or his planned return date was met with silence or monosyllabic non-answers.  
  
"You're brooding."

Inuyasha, snapped out of his dour thoughts, lifted his gaze to meet his wife's.

"Forgive me," he muttered. "Something's not right."

"It's Rin, isn't it?" Kagome added as she sank down to sit beside him on their small porch. The sun was setting, casting the world in wonderful colors as it descended behind the distant tree-line.

They watched in silence, neither wishing to follow up on Kagome's soft query as both knew the answer.

"Yes," Inuyasha finally said with a soft sigh as though he'd forced the words from his mouth. "She's not herself. At least, not the Rin I remember."

Kagome shifted slightly so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "I've been thinking..."

"I'm shocked," Inuyasha chuckled, getting louder with his laughter as Kagome hit him lightly for his joke.

"Stop! I'm trying to be serious here. Maybe this is Rin. The Rin of now. You remember what happened when Rin left?"

"That was years ago!" Inuyasha sputtered back in reply.  
  
"So?" Kagome replied. "Look at her, Inuyasha. She's closed off. Sealed her inner self. Her heart perhaps."

Her husband huffed. "Five years should be enough time to recover."

"What if I rejected you? Would five years be enough?"

"That's... it's not the same!"

Kagome sighed. "It is for Rin. Not the same for your brother of course."  
  


* * *

The patrol had gone well.

Rin had been pleasantly surprised to find she still knew all the secret routes and hidden pathways that led to the various charms and shrines that surrounded the village.

After checking everything remained in place at each site, she now was making her way homeward.

Rin walked along the dusty path at an easy pace, watching as butterflies flitted around the flowers in full bloom. The village was back in sight now to her muted delight.

And with the main street clearly still being busy even from this distance, Rin decided to take a moment to herself and enjoy the last dregs of sunlight before night came to cover all.

She pulled herself up to sit on the nearest low stone wall and tentatively took a sip from her water jug.

 _It was so peaceful_ , she mused. She could easily forget herself in a place like this. Vague memories of her life here came to fore, ones which she quickly put an end to as she stilled her heart that threatened to increase its pace.

With a flourish, she tugged her hair free from the restrictive pins she's placed the soft locks in just that morning and allowed the full breeze to catch her hair.

Rin sighed as the cool wind caressed her head and neck while her long dark hair billowed around her.

She closed her eyes and sank into peaceful nothingness in the heat of the setting sun. No thoughts, no memories, no pain...

"Rin."

Her eyes snapped open but found her vision full of her hair still caught on the breeze. Rin slipped off the stone wall and she turned rigidly to face what she had not wanted to since receiving Kagome's missive all those weeks ago.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she greeted monotonously with a slight bow.

He was exactly the same as when she'd last seen him. Tall, broad, clad in his ornate armor and silken fabrics. Rin couldn't bring herself to lift her face to meet his gaze, instead of focusing on a random component of the chest plate that was about head height to her.

"Where did you run off to, stupid girl?!!" Rin blinked as Jaken rounded where his master stood still on the road and began to berate her earnestly. "We went looking everywhere! You'd just gone!!"

"I'm sorry, Jak-"

"Don't you sorry me! You could have said something! And poor Lord Sesshoumaru had to stall all of his plans in order to search until you sent word to Kagome of your safety. You've been a terrible inconvenience."

Rin bit back a small smile before she said softly, "I'm glad to see you are well, Jaken."

The small kappa huffed and opened his mouth to begin another barrage when Rin gracefully turned on her heel. "I must return to the village. It was lovely to see you both."

She strode off once more, leaving the pair in the dust.  
  


* * *

  
Jaken peered up at his lord, finding the demon lord focused entirely on Rin as she disappeared down the road.

"My Lord? We should follow, yes?"

"Hmh," was the reply as Sesshoumaru's nose twitched. "Jaken, retrieve Ah-Un, and set up camp near my brother's home. You know the area."

"Y-y-yes, my lord. But don't you-"

"Jaken, go. Now."

The kappa bowed and ran off back down the road they had come while his lord pressed onwards, his eyes focused on the distant figure of Rin as she entered the village proper.


	4. The Elk

"And she has said nothing?"

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder at Kagome and his Hanyō brother while he stood firmly in their small porch facing out towards the village proper.

"No," growled Inuyasha, "and clearly has no intention of saying anything either. Every attempt is either ignored or deflected."

There was a long moment of silence before Sesshoumaru asked softly, "Did you feel something... odd in Rin's aura?"

"I didn't want to say in case I was overthinking it," his brother answered as he took a step forward to be in line with Sesshoumaru. "But yes. Yes, there is something wrong here. She's not Rin."

The dai-yokai huffed, his breath fogging slightly in the cooler twilight air. "Rin is still there. I felt her softness. Something else is happening."

Kagome glanced over at Kaede's small hut. For the first time in years, there was light flickering and smoke billowing out from the hut as Rin settled in for the night.

"She came here with another Yōkai," she said softly.

That got Sesshourmaru's attention. "Who?"

"A wolf Yōkai. She called him Daichi. Look... don't believe me all you want but I think he was a wolf Daiyōkai."

"They have not existed in thousands of years."

Inuyasha blanched with a knowing glance at Kagome before he backed what his wife had said. "I know... but I know what we both felt. He was hiding in the guise of a lesser being. A lesser wolf. But he is Daiyōkai. I'm sure of it. I didn't press at the time because I feared that Rin would not stay if I did."

"You said he was _with_ Rin?"

"She said they were companions. Partners in work. She would not elaborate any further."

Sesshoumaru turned his head slightly, looking as Kagome had earlier to the small hut twinkling in the low light. "This one shall speak to her."

Just as he stepped lightly off the porch, the door to Kaede's old hut slammed open and Rin emerged wearing only her night wraps with hair streaming down her back. She looked flustered, eyes darting around in the disappearing light.

"Rin? Are you alright?" Kagome called out to her.

"GET INSIDE! NOW!" was the answering roar, a shout from Rin's lips that was filled with fear and desperation. "Do not come out! All of you!"

With that, Rin ran off into the along the main road before disappearing into the treeline.

Wordlessly, Inuyasha moved his pregnant wife inside, ignoring her arguments before he followed Sesshoumaru who was already chasing Rin where she'd run to.

* * *

It was night by the time they had caught up to her, finding her standing with bow and arrows ready in a meadow not far from where they'd first set off.

"I thought I told you to stay away!" she bit out without sparing them a glance. "Do you feel it? Do you know what is coming?"

Sesshoumaru growled. "Another Yōkai."

"No... not a Yōkai. A mockery of one. A mockery of life itself," Rin hissed. Before their disbelieving eyes, Rin started to discard her outer garments, casting them off one by one until she bare to the world with the exception of the essential body wraps covering her modest breasts and crotch. The brothers saw then what was disrupting Rin's aura. Her body was covered in intricate pulsing lines, each twisting around each other along hidden lines on Rin herself. Her hands were the worst affected as there seemed to be little left of Rin as the delicate fingers seemed to have been dipped entirely in the same glowing liquid that ran along in strings along her body.  
  
"What has happened to you..." Inuyasha whispered almost to himself.

"Tsukuyomi has given me a great task," Rin replied, her head hanging low. "I must succeed. Please... stay back."

Before Sesshoumaru could protest, the creature they had felt finally emerged from the distant treeline.

It was... an abomination. It was shaped similarly to an elk but with tattered and rotting flesh hung from its bleached bones. It bellowed out a warning as flashes of light, similar to what was currently rippling across Rin's body, poured from its dead eyes and rushed in waves across its mangled frame.

"What is that..." Inuyasha muttered.

"A Yomi-corrupted guardian," Rin replied. "There is no more time for words. If you intend on staying, do not let the creature touch you. Corruption always follows."

Before either could react, Rin was already loosing arrows at the elk. The creature charged as the first couple struck it hard, piercing what remained of its flesh. With a loud bellow, it bent its head with twisted antlers facing out like spears, charged at Rin who dodged lightly before spinning on her heel and firing a couple of more.  
  
Inuyasha launched himself upwards, attempting an upward slash while avoiding the elk's disturbingly sharp teeth.

Sesshoumaru had swept passed, with claws and whip gouging some of the already tenuous flesh from the elk's side. He stepped backward with grace and poise, avoiding easily as the elk swung it's head dangerously in an attempt to gore him.

An arrow landed solidly into one of the elk's dead eyes with a thud as Rin reestablished a new position to attack from. It threw the elk off balance but only momentarily. It refocused on Rin and charged. Rin flung herself sideways, cursing under breath as she realized the elk had destroyed a number of her arrows as it trampled over her quiver. She only had four more remaining that were clutched tightly in her hands.

She took off running as the elk turned at speed and charged her again. Before she could fling herself sideways, Rin found herself swept up in Sesshourmaru's arms, watching from his embrace as he spun midair and slashed out once more. This time his whip took out a front leg, shattering the desiccated front limb.

His brother followed up on Sesshoumaru's breakthrough by shattering the other, leaving the corrupted elk baying on the floor with no means to carry out its attacks.

* * *

Rin took a breath once her feet touched the grass with toes flexing involuntarily. She slowly became intensely aware of Sesshoumaru's hands which were pressed firmly on her bare stomach and hip, keeping her back clutched against him.

"Could... could you release me?" Rin whispered to him, not wanting to bring Inuyasha's attention to them from where the Hanyō was examining the angry elk.

Her lord said nothing as he withdrew his hands and freed her. Rin didn't look back as she stepped away, more afraid of what she might see than what she thought she knew.

"What is this?" Inuyasha queried as soon as she arrived.  
  
"A guardian. Corrupted by Yomi."

"It's not an answer if you don't explain, Rin," he replied testily.

"Izanagi sealed Yomi many years ago," she began in her sing-song voice that Inuyasha recognized from when Rin would tell tales to the village children. "When Amaterasu and her brothers became kami in their own right, they took over an important duty from their father. They resealed Yomi once more, knowing that Izanagi's boulder would only hold their father's wife for so long. Amaterasu created divine beasts to serve as seals; Tsukuyomi gifted them power from the stars; and Susanoo granted them dominion over land, sea, and sky."

"This is one of them?"

Rin nodded. "Yes... It's failing. It's all failing. So the Kami have sent their chosen to gather the wasted gifts."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head. "You were selected."

She nodded. "By Lord Tsukuyomi. To be his agent in this world. That's why I'm- why I'm covered in these things, " Rin replied as she gestured at the markings that covered her slight form.

Rin gazed at the elk who peered back with one intact eye and snorted. "I must take from him the moon gift and bring it into myself. Once one is taken, the others will flee from it and return to their new owners."

She grabbed Inuyasha's arm firmly. "Promise me something."

"What?"

"When I do this, there will be pain. Lots of it. There is a body of water not far from here. A lake. I need you to take me there and lay me in the waters. You must leave me there until Daichi returns. Tell him what has happened and where I am. He'll understand what needs to be done. Whatever you hear... whatever I say in my pain... don't follow any of it except what I say to you now."


	5. Daichi

"Kagome... don't!" Inuyasha halted his wife from going to the lake by seizing her into a tight embrace as she attempted to rush past him.

"But she's in agony! I can hear her cries from here!" his wife said, her soft heart crying out to him without words as she desperately wished to ease her friend's torment.

"I know.... I know... just stay here with me," he whispered softly with his face buried in Kagome's hair with his grip firmly around her.

"But... Rin..."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Don't. It's too dangerous down there. We must wait. We must wait...." The Hanyō squeezed his eyes shut and briefly reviewed in his mind what had happened back in the meadow.

The strange network of lines that gouged Rin's body like a map had flared.

The decaying elk had given one last suffering moan before it had crumbled into dust.

A bubble of power unlike anything he'd ever seen had pushed both Sesshoumaru and himself back before it had split into three.

Two had shot off into the night, seeking their new owners. One had plunged into Rin herself and had caused all of this.

She burned, her markings glowing and pulsing out raw power. The grass around her ignited into heat and flame. Inuyasha, with his fire rat robe wrapped around his body and his hands, picked her up and ran. A trail of destruction followed in his wake; the path marked by fire, smoke, and ash.

All the while, Rin cried out in agony.

There had been a brief respite once he'd gotten her into the lake although he'd been equally horrified as the water around her began to churn and bubble as it touched her skin.

Rin, with the last shreds of her mind not consumed by pain, told him to go. To wait for Daichi. That the wolf would return soon and he knew what needed to be done.

In the meanwhile, all they could do is wait.

* * *

Sesshoumaru could not be convinced to leave Rin. Although Inuyasha had tried but soon had to give up and instead turn his attention to finding the wolf who had accompanied her.

Even now, Inuyasha could distantly see him with her in the lake, holding Rin in her despair and attempting to figure out what he could do to ease her suffering.

So intent was Inuyasha's focus on his brother that he almost missed the faint blur that pushed passed him as Daichi arrived back and rushed to the waterside. The Hanyō followed suit only after some frantic words with Kagome.

"Daichi!" Rin gasped upon seeing him, her left hand outstretched to reach her companion in this rare moment of lucidity among her torment.

"I'm here!" was the terse reply as Daichi trudged his way to her through the thigh-high water, one eye on the snarling dog lord who held her fact against him. Daichi slowly took Rin's offered hand and pulled her closer, earning himself another threat display from Sesshoumaru. It was Inuyasha who intervened. "Hand her over. This is who Rin spoke of. He can save here!"

With a clear reluctance, Sesshoumaru released Rin's limp body over to Daichi who immediately clasped her near-naked form tightly to his chest.

"Brace, Rin. Brace," he muttered as he placed a hand over the central maze of glowing lines that lay above her heart.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha could feel it, the ebb and flow of Daichi's yōki as he pushed and pulled it through Rin's body. They both quickly realized what he was doing, setting the new power into rhythm with Rin's very human heartbeat.

When the work was finished and the turbulence within Rin was calmed, she slumped into unconsciousness as the heat finally began to dissipate. Daichi held her firmly above the waterline while he waited for her body to cool a bit more, briefly brushing his lips almost tenderly over the wet hair on her crown.

His ear flickered briefly at the deep threatening growl to his right.

"Is something wrong, dog?" he muttered to Sesshoumaru whose eyes flickered between red and white.

"Let this one's Rin go. Your task is done."

"No," Daichi replied with no fear, instead with defiance hoisting Rin up into his arms properly and carrying her out of the cooling waters.

The snarl intensified, so much in fact that Inuyasha himself had to glance at what his brother was looking at. Daichi's hands holding Rin apparently, with one dangerously close to her perfectly rounded breasts and pert nipples being shown off through her soaking wet breastband.

"Back off, dog!" Daichi snarled back, the glimmer he wore shrugging off as he did. The veil fell away and revealed what the brothers already knew. Daichi was a Daiyōkai. A wolf at that.

Sesshoumaru's hand went to his swords immediately. "Put her down!"

* * *

It was Kagome who stalled the fight entirely by arriving with a thick blanket and immediately started barking orders. "Give her here! Into the blanket! Quickly."

Inuyasha took the opportunity to whisper what was transpiring into Kagome's ear as they worked, with the miko shaking her head in frustration. Now was most definitely not the time for territorial contests.

Once wrapped, the pair took off with the still unconscious Rin and left the two Daiyōkai to their own ends, which was each now taking stock of their opponent.

"I thought your people were gone. Lost to time," snarled Sesshoumaru. "This one will not be disappointed to finish the job my ancestors started."

Daichi stood as tall as the dog lord, a formidable opponent with razor claws and fangs that slightly protruded. Long thick brown-grey hair fell in a braid down his back; instead of facial stripes, three thick lines of purple speckles ran along his cheekbones; and he bore a full moon cast in shimmering gold which sat pride of place on his forehead.

"You think we'd die off to mere dogs? Your people are very much mistaken."

"Rin is not yours. You will leave her."

"Or what... dog? I stay with Rin. I am hers and she is mine. Wolves do not stray from the pack."

Sesshoumaru rushed forward, all snarls and snapping jaws, stopping short of Daichi who was unfazed by the Inu-Yōkai fighting for control of himself in front of him.

"She's not yours!"

"She's not yours either," Daichi spat back. "You should go back home... to your wife."


	6. A Shattered Heart

**Five years before:  
  
**

Rin sat mutely, staring at the wonderful spread that was prepared before her but which she had no appetite for.

The shock she'd had earlier that day and the subsequent strained conversation with Lord Sesshoumaru had left her in a mess of tumbled feelings. Kagome had only a few brief moments to speak to her before they were once more subsumed into the group.

Rin kept her gaze low, doing, and saying just enough to keep the others mostly unaware. Well, except for the most obvious.

Inuyasha had made it his business to sit beside her, directing his Daiyōkai brother to sit furthest away from Rin with him being the snarling angry Hanyō buffer.

it was worse that the object of her distress, the human Lady Kyo, was so very kind and beautiful.

From the moment they met, the Lady was attempting eagerly to get to know Rin, to know her husband's ward while Lady Inukimi merely sat back and enjoyed the conversation.

"Of course, once we get back to the fortress, I would love it if you could join me on a tour of the combined lands! I do so hope you enjoy it. Jaken has told me often of your love of flowers. There are so many areas just full of the most breathtaking blossoms that I must show you!"

Rin gave a nod and a slight smile. "Hai. Arigato, my Lady."

"My dear," Inukimi interrupted to the bubbling Kyo, "tell me more about this new type of armor your armies are trialing."

Rin had never been so grateful to her Lord's mother. Her chest was clamping tight, the raw wound that split her heart in twain was almost too much to bear. "I need to go," she whispered desperately to Inuyasha who nodded to her, his empathy written all over his face.

"I'll make a distraction and give your excuses when they realize you've left," he replied softly before he turned his bright yellow eyes on her. "There's no shame in... in letting it out, Rin. Find somewhere quiet and safe. Grieve. I... know how it is."

Rin blinked back the tears that threatened to streak down her face as she grasped the arm of his kimono, ignoring the heated stare from Sesshoumaru across the table as the Daiyōkai attempted to figure out what the pair discussed in hushed words with each other.

* * *

A distraction he promised and one he did provide. Inuyasha pulled out multiple bottles of sake, the rice wine pouring freely and sweetly into everyone's cup except Rin's. In the initial hustle and bustle, Rin slipped away unnoticed out the side door.

In her haste to escape, she left behind her soft shoes and outer wraps on the porch.

Once outside, she immediately set off down the path, scurrying away from the warmth, laughter, and joy contained with the small home. Rin moved aimlessly down the dirt path before she reached the small fork that led to the main road out of Edo and the small hut that had been her home for years with Kaede.

Standing there barefoot and heart-scalded, Rin suddenly felt that this was a turning point for her. She'd been so focused on her Lord, on being with him again after all these years that she found herself bereft of even her future.

Her heart was torn in two by a once-secret affection she'd hoped maybe one day...

A deep bone-shuddering sigh came from her chest.

She didn't know what she'd hoped for. The tears she'd kept hidden now flowed freely down her face.

Rin carefully wiped them away and steeled herself. She'd just go home and let this all out. Then tomorrow she'd tell her Lord that she couldn't go with him. Rin could figure out some reason or another. Let there be an end to it.

Her ears picked up the sound of party swelling as the door opened.

Rin, in a panic she later could not explain, dived into the nearby treeline, hiding like she often did as a child with a good view of who moved down the road.

The luminous glow of Sesshoumaru was clear with Inuyasha on his trail, reaching him just near where Rin was hiding. The argument they were in served to distract them both from her presence.

"I said stop!" Inuyasha hissed. "Leave her be!"

"The decision was made. I rather not leave it stand as is."

Rin watched Inuyasha's face contort in rage. "It can wait, you bastard! Leave her sleep in peace before you tell her that she can't go with you. That everything she worked towards meant nothing!"

Sesshoumaru stared down at Kaede's hut with lights flickering in its windows from the fire Rin had lit before she'd gone to the party.

"Please..." Inuyasha whined, almost begging. "Please let her be for tonight. Go and spend time with your wife. Leave Rin to me."

"She's my ward. She's not yours."

"Oh fuck off," Inuyasha spat out. "You allowed your mother and wife to speak of Rin like she was a besotted child in there! Whatever Rin feels, it's more than what you think it is. I swear... you take one more step towards that hut and I'll do what I have to."

Inuyasha reached for his sword, the very thing that only a few years before they both had fought over. For a moment, they stared at each other before Inukimi's voice broke the deadlock.

"Leave the silly little girl, my son! Come! Kagome is telling us such wonderful stories of the world she comes from."

* * *

Rin didn't pay attention to them leaving. She could barely breathe as it was.

When she'd looked up and seen the road was now empty through her watery eyes, Rin stood and put her back to Edo. Put her back to that part of her life, to the heartbreak and humiliation, and ran.

She ran as though she'd never run before. Her bare feet launched her through the depths of the forest; plunged her through the cold waters of small streams; and flung her over small leaps.

Rin ran and ran until her lungs failed her and she sank to her knees in the depths of the forest as desperate breaths shuddered through her.

"Ah. Young Rin."

Her body stiffened as she turned her gaze upwards to the owner of the voice.

"I've been looking for you," Daichi said softly, offering her a large pale hand with claws retracted.

"Who are you?"

The wolf Daiyokai grinned. "My name is... complicated. Call me Daichi."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No. Do you wish me to?"

Rin burst into tears. "It might be better than this emptiness," she gasped in sobs. To her surprise, Rin found herself pulled into Daichi's arms as he attempted to comfort her.

"You have a greater fate than this, Rin. I've been sent by a great Lord, a Kami no less. To find you. Singular... unique... you. Whoever has hurt you like this... you must set them aside. You must come with me."

"They'll find me."

Daichi grinned. "Not with me, they won't. Come with me, Rin. And I'll show you a world you never knew existed."

* * *

Rin shot up awake, her mind desperately adjusting to what was reality and not dreams, before her body immediately bent over in pain.

"Hey. It's alright," Kagome hushed, soothing her as she pushed Rin back down to rest.

"Where's Daichi?" Rin gasped.

"Outside. Along with Sesshoumaru. Just rest."

"Kami..." she gasped. "I don't... where am I? When am I?"

Rin closed her eyes once more, feeling the soft cold cloth Kagome held clean her face and neck gently of sweat as she fell back once more into dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who had given read the story! :) I really hope you continue to enjoy it!  
> This is a Rin/Sesshoumaru story but will be angst on the way there (but the together part is starting to shine through a little).  
> Hopefully, you all can stick with it till the end!


	7. Small Wars

Jaken sat mutely to his Lord's right side, wary of bubbling anger of the Daiyōkai that was spilling out from almost every pore.

Sesshoumaru was angry and deeply upset, something that would normally be well concealed. Jaken had never personally seen this level of clear disdain from the usually controlled Lord, not even for his half brother.

It was all directed at the wolf Daiyōkai who sat imperiously across from him, apparently caring not for what his betters thought of him.

Sesshoumaru's mood soured even more in a dramatic increase when they'd overheard Rin's brief moment of lucidity from within the half-breed's home and her weak voice calling for the wolf and not her Lord.

Jaken was sure of course that Rin would be deeply upset to know how that unsettled Sesshoumaru and he fully intended on lecturing her firmly on this once things had settled.

As it was, that human moment of weakness of Rin's sparked a near war outside the hut.

The wolf had gotten to his feet at the whisper of his name and aimed to go to Rin's side. He found himself immediately caught unawares by Sesshoumaru who flung him backward. Then it turned into a maelstrom of fangs, claws, and fur.

* * *

Inuyasha could only watch as the two battled overhead, filling the sky with their rage while the village below was in sheer terror.

Both had forgone any semblance of propriety and instead fought as their demon selves wished. The vast white dog tore and snapped the wolf's flesh. The wolf dodged and snarled, looking for a vantage to latch onto Sesshoumaru's neck.

Not that Inuyasha's brother gave it to him with his own jaws seeking Daichi's slender throat.

"You must stop them!" Kagome gasped as she burst out from their home while their daughter cried in fear for her uncle on the porch.

"I'll end up dead. Very dead. I'll see if I can draw them away from the village," Inuyasha compromised. "Cause I won't be able to defeat those two right now."

Just as he spoke, Sesshoumaru let out a strange growl as Daichi's fangs found purchased on his right hind leg. In return, he latched onto Daichi's flattened right ear and nearly severed the damn thing.

Their blood poured down in a strange glowing red rain that splattered all over the streets and roofs, causing Kagome to gather their little one close and rush back indoors.

The pair locked on to each other fell from the sky and tumbled into trees. Inuyasha leaped forward, following the destruction.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was only focused on one thing.

Destroying this creature before him. This wolf who seemed to want to claim what was his by right. And he did not give up his prizes easily.

He'd seen what the creature had done to ease Rin's pain. He could do the same easily. Sesshoumaru would take the wolf's place at her side. She'd walk to his call as it should be.

They'd finish her task together than he'd take her back to his home where she'd take her rightful place among his retinue. He would brook no other outcome.

But first, he must deal with the wolf.

Daichi on the other hand was eager to test his strength against this Inu Lord, a descendant of ones who'd nearly driven his people to the brink long before his birth.

Of course, Rin was never far from his mind as he clearly saw that it was thoughts of her that drove the Dog Lord in his aggression towards him. If he could keep him distracted, keep his thoughts bent towards Rin, and not let the dog use any semblance of his brain, then this fight was already over.

By the time Inuyasha had arrived, both were locked again in combat.

This time not high in the air where they could freely dodge and swerve.

Here in the dirt and grime, knocking over trees and whipping against rock and soil, they struggled against each other. Sesshoumaru's glorious white fur was soaked red, from the wolf's blood and his own. The wolf didn't show it the same, his deep grey hiding his injuries as merely thick wet patches on his body.

Inuyasha lined up _Tessaiga_ , hoping one blast might separate the pair and call off the fight when his ears twitched. The battle in front of him stalled as they all heard the distant call.

Rin's voice crying out, echoing through the woods.

"DAICHI! LORD SESSHOUMARU!"

* * *

Kagome held Rin tightly on one side, the young woman on the verge of collapse as they hovered uncertainly on the porch.

Rin was gasping in the warm air as she attempted to stay awake, attempted to keep her strength up to do what needed to be done.

"Those bastards," Kagome growled. "No common sense between any of them."

"I can't... take.. much more," Rin mused, about to collapse entirely.

"No!" Kagome shouted as she desperately shuffled her grip. "Stay awake! I can't hold your entire body weight!"

She struggled mightily, straining muscles she never knew she had until Kagome found she didn't have to at all as Rin's body was suddenly lifted up into the far more sturdy embrace of Sesshoumaru who was not looking too good for once.

A few stray cuts still bled while he had a smattering of bruises along his ears and back of his neck. They were fading fast and Kagome suspected they'd be long gone by midday.

He cradled Rin close to his chest, nodded at Kagome before he entered her home, and strode purposefully to the tatami mat Rin had rested on.

Inuyasha and Daichi arrived in time to see him disappear behind the door with Jaken at his heels. The snort and snarl of displeasure from Daichi were enough to know his feelings.

"He's taking this as a victory," he snarled.

"He does that sort of thing," Inuyasha mused before he moved to help Kagome inside. "You coming in or just gonna stay out here sulking? He won't attack you now that he thinks he's won. Just... stay back from Rin. For now at least. I know she won't be swayed from her task no matter what he thinks but at least for tonight, she can rest. What harm is there in letting Sesshoumaru believe he's taken the win when the war hasn't even started?"

The wolf tilted his head before giving a wry smile. "Maybe there's something to you half-bloods after all."

* * *

Rin woke when the moon was full in the sky.

She sat up carefully, her mind cautioning her against swift movements considering the pain she experienced only a few short hours before. She could hear the voice calling her... her Kami calling with such soft and inviting words.

But she was weak. So weak.

She attempted to turn, to shuffle onto her knees, and crawl to the door when she let out a squeak of surprise as two large firm hands grabbed her by the waist and drew her onto someone's arms.

Rin blearily looked up into Sesshoumaru's calm face.

"You should not be moving," he said quietly.

"I didn't even realize you were there, my Lord. Forgive me."

He huffed, a strangely muted snort of disbelief. Rin felt his arms tighten around her and realized that leaving his embrace was not going to happen. Her Kami too seemed to realize this as his voice went silent the moment Sesshoumaru had grasped her.

Instead, she wearily rested her head against Sesshoumaru's chest and listened to the steady thud of his heart beating.

"This one must talk with you tomorrow. Without the wolf."

Rin swallowed nervously, her throat suddenly dry. "Hai," she replied, not knowing truly what else to say.

"It is time to return. You agreed to follow me. You chose to. This one will hold you to your vow. Forever it was said."

Rin blinked away the stray tear that threatened to escape her eye. "You have other priorities. Lady K-"

"Stop!" he snapped before he huffed. "Discussion for tomorrow. Now you must rest. This one will keep you safe as I have always done."


	8. Backbone

Rin sighed as her body sank beneath the cold freshwater of the stream.

She needed to wash, to rid her skin of the sweat that had built up during her night of exhaustion. She'd woken at dawn, finding herself back on her tatami mat after apparently falling asleep in Sesshoumaru's arms in the early hours.

But upon waking, Rin had found herself quite alone. Even Daichi was off somewhere else. With no one to stop her, Rin made her way carefully to where she could bathe and perhaps adjust to the power surging through the marks.

It would take time she knew. The first time she'd accepted Tsukiyomi's gift, she'd been bedridden for a week.

Daichi had tended to her, firstly by getting her to a Miko, and, once that task was done, he stayed at her side until she was well enough to move on her own. He'd been... surprising.

The Daiyōkai had fed her, protected her, even held her when the pain became almost too much. Then one morning, she awoke to find it was all gone except for this deep-rooted sensation of change happening under her skin.

The final cost of her journey she knew.

Now with three of her Kami's four gifts trapped within her, the moment Lord Tsukiyomi had spoken to her of was fast arriving.

* * *

Rin nearly jumped out of her skin as Inuyasha erupted from the nearby undergrowth. She bit back a little shriek and instead sank lower into the waters to hide her nakedness.

"There you are!!! The place is in an uproar over you!" he barked.

"Why?" Rin replied in confusion.

"You disappeared, idiot! My stupid brother is about to tear lumps again out of that wolf of yours because he immediately assumed he had something to do with it. He's not thinking at all."

Inuyasha sank down to sit on the bank with a huff.

"I'm sorry," Rin said quietly after a few minutes of awkward silence.

The Hanyō snorted before he shrugged. "You're a woman grown, Rin. Just maybe next time tell someone."

She nodded, biting back the reply she wanted to give of the fact no one was around. A fight not worth having considering that she knew what was coming once she returned. Better to save her strength.

"You done yet?"

Rin blinked and turned to Inuyasha with his ears perked up and at an adorable angle. "Yeah. Turn around so I can out."

* * *

Their arrival back at the house was almost completely unnoticed by the pair of Daiyōkai circling each other.

"Daichi?"

The wolf snapped his head to her, completely thrown from his silent duel with Sesshoumaru. He beamed at her.

"You're back!"

"Could you walk with me for a moment? We must speak in private," Rin added before frowning at Sesshoumaru who was actively snarling at her words.

"No," the Inuyōkai snapped. "Whatever you need to say can be done here."

Rin and Daichi glanced at each other, something unspoken passing between them before Rin turned to face Sesshoumaru.

"No, my Lord. These words are for our ears only. We will return shortly."

As she turned to leave, Rin was jerked suddenly back to a halt and yanked around to face an enraged Sesshoumaru. Eyes now a vibrant red and with elongated fangs, he gripped her upper arms tightly as he stared at her.

"You will not defy me!" he snarled.

Rin cast a quick glance back at Daichi who was on the verge of transforming himself and snatching her out of Sesshoumaru's grip. She was shaken suddenly forward once more, her head being tossed back to face the dog lord.

"DON'T LOOK AT HIM!" roared Sesshoumaru. "You are dealing with this one! You belong to this one and no one else!"

"My Lord," she began carefully, "you would do well to be mindful of how your actions would reflect on those not here... such as your wife."

She watched as her words struck home as she intended, and the red glow faded from his gaze.

"Release me," she added softly, barely nodding as the Daiyōkai did as she asked. His vibrant yellow eyes still locked on her.

"I'm not your ward, Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin said firmly, her voice and decision resolute. "I've not been that for a long time. Let us make official that which has been the case for many years now. I ran away that night so long ago because I knew you intended on telling me that I was surplus to your requirements. I know this because I lay hidden in the bushes while you fought with Inuyasha on the road. There's no place for me now in your retinue, my Lord. No more than there was five years ago when you intended on leaving me here. I thank you with everything that I am for all the kindness you've shown me over the years."

She turned a slight smile to Jaken who stood bewildered a short distance away. "And you, Jaken. I'll never forget you."

Rin turned her gaze once more on Sesshoumaru who appeared... stricken. She couldn't place the emotion but she recognized shock on any face when she saw it.

"Our paths... diverged long ago, my Lord. I can only wish you and your family good fortune in the years to come. And my aid such as it is when you have need of it."

Rin turned away, gripping onto Daichi's offered arm as reassurance she was doing the right thing as they stepped away to speak privately together.

* * *

"By nightfall you say?" Daichi whispered, one eye kept watching the hovering Sesshoumaru who was pacing a sufficient distance away from them. Rin's words had hit something within the Daiyōkai and it was clear that the conversation was not over.

"It's time I think," Rin replied softly, eyes locked on her hands clasped together tightly. "I feel it."

"The last one?"

She nodded. "I think I know where it is. I can feel it's pull. West. Towards the far coast."

Daichi sniffed. "The others will be on the way there too then. Are you ready?"

"I think so."

Daichi tilted her head up to face his, spotting the anxiety barely hidden by her eyes. "You were born for this. To be Tsukiyomi's Okami. His wolf messager to the world. You are your mother's daughter after all."

"I'm not as sure as you are about that."

"Our Kami is. The task ahead is great but I know your strength of heart, your resourcefulness... your resolve... and you're not alone. Even got that jackass over there."

Rin bit back a smile. "I'm like a daughter to him as I've been so often told. He's struggling to adjust."

"Sweetling, he's not upset with me over a daughter figure," Daichi replied with one brow raised. "He's upset because I'm a threat to something far more fundamental to his psyche. To the dog in him at least. Your Lord Sesshoumaru went for my throat more than once. He'd kill me if given the chance and with no provocation on my part except that you turned those pretty eyes on me."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you need to be aware that he's completely smitten with you."

Rin rolled her eyes. "Don't play this game, Daichi. Not now."

"If I end up an unrecognizable mess due to that idiot because you call for me first one more time, I'm gonna wait for you in the next world with plenty of blame to throw your way. Go talk to your dog. He's looking pretty upset."

"We've said all we've needed to say," Rin replied softly. "At nightfall when all is quiet, we leave and make our way west."


	9. An Attempt

Rin's plan of slipping away quietly did not come easily.

Daichi for his part did try his best but nothing could shake Sesshoumaru's focus from Rin.

As for Rin, she refused any conversation from the Daiyōkai, reaching the point that Inuyasha himself had to step in and request his brother join him briefly for something innocuous just to ease the constant tension.

The blessed distraction they wished for arrived just after sunset as the apprentice Miko that Daichi had left just a day or so before to fetch finally arrived.

"Hai, Suki!" Rin greeted warmly, taking the young woman's hand in her own before leading her to Kagome who had joined Rin for this initial greeting.

To Rin's deep relief, young Suki was eager and full of conversation as she peppered Kagome and the others with queries.

This was the first time the young apprentice had been sent so far from her mentor, Kurotsuchi, and the shrine they maintained. "You'll do great," Kagome had assured her with that steady compassion that Rin remembered her friend having since the first moment they'd met.

Rin had excused herself shortly after nightfall, taking young Suki with her to Kaede's hut and settling her in for the night.

They sat and talked, with Rin informing Suki that she would be leaving that night and that the reasons for it were varied but if asked, Suki was just to say that an urgent message had come for her and she could not stay.

* * *

When Suki was fast asleep and the stars were glittering in the endless dark of night, Rin slipped out from the hut then secured it safely before she disappeared into the forest.

Daichi would meet her at the far west crossroads, one familiar to her from her time living with Kaede.

Rin stood for a moment and stared at the small village with its flickering lights, warmth, and security. But it was not to be for her.

"Goodbye," she whispered softly. "I hope you don't forget me. I won't ever forget you all."

To avoid Sesshoumaru, whom she hoped was distracted by his brother and family, Rin made her way through the dense forest on hidden trails known only to the animals and yōkai who lived in the area.

It was with relief that she finally found their meeting spot with Daichi himself leaning against the small wooden fence that marked the boundary of a small farm nearby.

He beamed at her, a very wolfish smile that made him disturbingly more handsome.

"Shall we?" he gestured towards the dusty road that led west.

Rin nodded before she almost immediately stumbled. Her lithe legs somehow managed to connect themselves to the ground before her face did.  
  
"You alright?" the wolf queried, one hand firmly on her upper left arm.

"I'm fine. Tiredness, I think."

"Ahh. Right. After you."

Rin barely got five steps ahead when her feet stumbled over themselves and this time she found herself face first in the dirt.

"On second thought, I could carry you," Daichi murmured as Rin pulled herself gracelessly from the floor.

She bit back a smile as the Daiyōkai wolf deliberately tilted his ears in a manner he knew she found adorable and almost impossible to resist.

"Don't do that," she huffed out with amusement. "You know exactly how cute I find that."

"Come on. Let me carry you at least for now. I'll get us to a nice camping spot."

* * *

And so the wolf had carried her, racing along the lonely road with all the grace and poise that Rin lacked.

Sometimes he deliberately flew a short distance, drawing out Rin's ire as she desired the more mundane methods of travel.

He skirted around villages and inns, racing passed before any could register that they were there. It was only upon arriving at a small dark cottage seated in a moonlit meadow that Daichi came to a stop.

"A place to rest," he murmured. "It looks sturdy enough."

"Abandoned too if the overgrowth gardens are any indication," Rin sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself.

While Daichi confirmed the cottage was empty, Rin looked around at the dark woods that surrounded the meadow.

A light breeze whipped the tall grasses into motion, creating an undulating sea before her.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and... let out a shriek of surprise as she was yanked around to face Sesshoumaru.

Rin gulped, her eyes as wide as a deer's as she gazed up her Lord. He was incensed with rage, mouth and fangs bared while his eyes were blood red.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she sputtered out. "Why are y-ugh!"

The Daiyōkai grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her tightly to him. Her face was crushed against his chest while his other arm held her close. Sight was closed off to Rin and she had to rely on her other senses alone.

He smelled... like blossoms and honey. Perhaps he'd chased them across the farms and fields they passed on their way here. She froze as something cold touched her neck. There came a deep huff, an inhale into the Daiyōkai's lungs. Sesshoumaru was smelling her?

Something clearly then happened out of her senses' ability to detect as Sesshoumaru began to snarl and growl, a deep rumbling sound that rattled Rin's slight body from where he had her clasped close.

"You need to let her go, dog."

 _Daichi, don't!_ , her mind screamed. Her voice couldn't carry past the fabric of Sesshoumaru's garments and his broad chest. The Inu Daiyōkai did not let up once and held her fast against him, so much that she feared she may be unable to breathe.

"Let her go. She's mortal. You could kill her!"

Sesshoumaru was still snarling but something of Daichi's words ebbed through as he relaxed fractionally the hand that held Rin's head to his chest. For her part, she gulped in air with the brief reprieve but didn't resist as that hand started to... pet her head. Rin grimaced. Sesshoumaru needed to calm down. And he couldn't if Daichi was near.

"Daichi?" she began, flinching as Sesshoumarus's growl exploded in volume and viciousness as he heard her voice call the wolf.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine. Just go somewhere else until I call you. He won't listen to reason. Not while you are here. Please...."

"But..."

"I'll be fine. Go! I'll call you by a howl."

With her head still locked by Sesshoumaru to his chest, Rin could only faintly hear Daichi leave by sound and the sudden absence of it. The hands that held her tightly began to ease off until finally, she was fully free from Sesshoumaru's grasp. She blinked to adjust to the meager light around her before she looked into Sesshoumaru's face.

His eyes were no longer the blood-red they had been, nor was his mouth turned in up in that horrible snarl filled with fangs. He'd calmed enough to maybe listen to reason.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she murmured, her voice almost lost in the winds that whipped around the meadow. "Do you need to talk?"


	10. Rin's Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Thanks so much for all the lovely comments! :D I'm gonna try and to get more updates going on so hopefully another chapter soon!

Rin felt disarmed under the Inuyokai's gaze but the words she wanted to say caught her throat and refused to break the silence that fell between them.

"Enough. Enough of this," Sesshoumaru finally spat out as though the words were like ashes in his mouth.

"My Lord?"

"Enough of your silence. I expect the truth, Rin."

Rin hesitantly turned around and padded quietly to a nearby tree stump. As she sat, Rin gestured to a similar spot beside her but was not surprised as the dog lord merely stood and gazed down at her.

"What do you wish to know?" she said softly, her hair long and loose around her shoulders. The world was bathed and glinting with moonlight. The Kami was listening she realized.

"You've avoided me. You claimed you are not my ward. I've not given you leave to say such things," Sesshoumaru growled lowly.

Rin bit back a snort. "I merely stated a truth that was unspoken. I've long been of age. Long past the age of marrying even." She idly brushed her plain kimono clear of debris before she turned her gaze to a view over the rustling meadow. "I've had time to think over the years of our separation. I hope Lady Kyo is well?"

Rin was forcefully yanked around to look into Sesshoumaru's face. "I said enough! You've told me of your task. I've not rescinded your oaths to me. When your task is done, you will rejoin my retinue. And the wolf dies."

"No. Daichi won't be dead at the end of all this, Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin replied softly. "But I will be."

* * *

"Explain," the tall Daiyokai demanded after a moment of what could only be described as stunned silence.

Rin set her chin, tilting her head so she could face Sesshoumaru and he could read the truth of her words.

"This task will claim my life. Each gift shortens it. My final task is, well... it's beyond my body's abilities. I _chose_ this, Lord Sesshoumaru. When Tsukuyomi came to me-"

"Stop!" the Daiyokai barked, his eyes a whirl of gold and red. "Start again. From the beginning. When did you meet the wolf? How does it come to pass that you were chosen by Tsukuyomi?"

Rin blinked. "I, eh...I met Daichi the very night I fled from the village. I ran after I overheard your argument with Lord Inuyasha. I know not how far I ran. Only that when I stopped, Daichi was there. He offered me... a chance to escape. To flee with no trace left behind to follow for noses far cleverer than my own."

Sesshoumaru snarled, the sound echoing from deep within his core. "He was the one. The one that hid your scent. We searched for miles. This one and the hanyou."

His alert eyes watched Rin as she smiled with a hint of a laugh in the small cough she gave. "He's very good at concealing. As it was, he took me north as he was directed to. He acts for Lord Tsukuyomi. His clan does the same. Spared that genocidal war that happened between your people generations ago."

Rin slid off her seat and stepped into the tall grasses, enjoying the feel of it as it brushed along her bare feet. "I first met Lord Tsukuyomi far from the village. So far north that even now I can barely remember the path we took to reach the shrine. And... he was there when the moon was full in the night sky. Waiting."

Rin sank down to her knees, resting among the tall grasses almost higher than her. Sesshoumaru stood at her side, eyes locked on her firmly.

"I'm dying. I'm dead already. My body has just not caught up yet. Each time... each piece corrodes not just at my body but at my soul. The marks on my body don't just contain the power. It holds me together. Nothing of me will remain when it's all done. I've accepted this fate."

"This one has not. Twice I brought you back from death. Your life is mine! This thing you've done to yourself must be undone!" Sesshoumaru snarled.

"Not even you can defy the Kami." Rin looked up at the Daiyokai with long dark hair half-wild in the breeze and eyes glittering with moonlight. "Lord Sesshoumaru, this is a gift. My life will have played a part in saving the world! Even if it's brief, it will be bright and brilliant and... and just for a moment, I will have meant something!"

"You mean something already," was the Daikyokai's terse reply. "It must be undone!"

* * *

Rin looked away and wisely kept her silence. She felt and heard more than saw Sesshoumaru sink down to sit beside her.

"I do not accept this, Rin," he said resolutely. "I do not accept the sacrifice must be you. Another can take this place."

She shook her head. "No... it can't. It's me. It has to be me. I'm the last one. My mother... it was supposed to be her. But the thought of it was too much for her. She couldn't face it. So she ran. I don't know what happened to her family but Daichi has told me that none remain. She met my father and had one of her own." Rin turned her head slightly, meeting Sesshoumaru's intense stare. "Lord Tsukuyomi is grateful to you. For saving my life twice."

"So he can waste it? This one does not need his thanks. You will return with me to the village."

"Lord Sesshou-ek!"

The Daikyokai grabbed her firmly, arms snaking around her small waist and locking her in before he immediately took flight.

Rin gave a little strained howl, hoping to alert Daichi wherever he'd gone. After that, she merely sighed and settled in for the journey. Struggling would gain her nothing.

Their arrival at the village was expected, with Inuyasha and Kagome waiting at the porch of the home.

Before anyone could speak, Jaken burst out from the small home and immediately started berating Rin.

"SILENCE!"

The roar that came from Sesshoumaru stunned everyone into an uneasy quiet. He turned those brilliant yellow orbs on Rin. "Tell them. Everything that you told me."


End file.
